SPOKEN worldwide

What SPOKEN worldwide does

Spoken Worldwide is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that specializes in oral Bible translation and oral discipleship for the approximately two-thirds of the global population who are oral learners — those who cannot, do not, or will not read and learn best through listening and oral storytelling. The organization's core service is Oral Bible Translation (OBT), in which indigenous mother-tongue translators produce audio Scripture in the heart languages of communities across Africa and Asia, including projects in Cameroon (Mbule), Nigeria (Polchi), Botswana (Shua and Ncircire), Sudan (Sudanese Arabic), North Africa, and Myanmar (Inthar), with new engagement of the Vinta people as of 2025. Supporting products include a publicly accessible Audio Translation Library on spoken.org offering downloadable oral Scripture across multiple biblical books, an Oral Discipleship training program, the Ed Talks Podcast hosted by CEO Ed Weaver, and quarterly newsletters distributed to supporters.

The technology stack is centered on audio recording, digital distribution, and web-based content delivery rather than software-as-a-service. The Audio Translation Library functions as a self-serve content repository, while distribution also occurs through indigenous church networks and local ministry partnerships. There is no API offering, no mobile application, and no disclosed AI/ML tooling; the core production process is human-mediated translation by trained local translators. Spoken is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and aligns with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Statement of Faith, and is partnered with Mission Exchange, FORUM, and Excellence in Giving for mission coordination and donor stewardship.

Spoken's business model is donation-driven, with revenue derived from individual donors, churches, and charitable foundations through an online giving portal at give.spoken.org, where supporters can give to general ministry operations or designate contributions to specific missionaries. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiary communities, and no pricing or commercial transaction model exists. The organization employs 11-50 staff based in the United States with field programs operated through missionary teams and local church partnerships, and is led by CEO Ed Weaver.

Name

SPOKEN worldwide

Legal name

Spoken Worldwide

Website

https://spoken.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spoken Worldwide is a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces oral Bible translations and oral discipleship training for oral learner communities across Africa and Asia, funding operations through charitable donations and distributing audio Scripture through its website and indigenous church networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Nonprofit Ministry Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Translation, Language Accessibility & Reading Support Tools (e.g., TTS, Captions, Immersive Reader) (EDAFAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Speech Translation & Multilingual Speech Tech (HDAAAFAE), Listening & Speaking / Conversation Materials (EDAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Oral bible translation
• Oral discipleship training
• Audio scripture library
• Indigenous missionary training
• Ministry coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Spoken Worldwide operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that generates revenue through donations from individuals, churches, and charitable foundations. The organization accepts donations through its website portal and offers options to support specific missionaries or general ministry work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spoken Worldwide produces oral Bible translations and delivers oral discipleship training for oral learner communities, primarily in Africa and Asia. Indigenous mother-tongue translators create audio Scripture in heart languages, which are distributed through a free online audio library and through local church networks, accompanied by coaching and training for local believers and ministry leaders.

Product overview

Spoken Worldwide operates as a single integrated ministry focused on oral Bible translation and oral discipleship services. The core offerings include Oral Bible Translation (OBT) — where indigenous mother-tongue translators create audio Scripture in heart languages — combined with Oral Discipleship training that equips local believers to make disciples using oral storytelling methods. Supporting these core services is an Audio Translation Library (a searchable database of downloadable Bible audio passages in languages including Inthar, Polchi, and Sudanese Arabic), the Ed Talks Podcast (leadership-hosted conversations about orality and translation work), and quarterly newsletters providing field updates. The organization does not operate a platform-plus-modules architecture; its products are interconnected ministry services unified by the mission of delivering Scripture to oral learner communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oral Bible Translation (OBT)

Quantifiable outcome

• Oral Bible translations available in multiple languages including Inthar, Polchi, Sudanese Arabic, covering books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, Acts, 1 Corinthians, and others

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)coreOthersSpoken Worldwide is recognized by the ECFA, demonstrating commitment to financial accountability and ethical standards as a faith-based nonprofit organization.
• Mission ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission Exchange is a partnership organization for missionary sending agencies that Spoken Worldwide collaborates with to advance oral Bible translation globally.
• FORUM (Fellowship of Regional Overseas Ministers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFORUM is an international fellowship of mission agencies and church mission organizations that Spoken Worldwide partners with for global mission coordination.
• Excellence in GivingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcellence in Giving is a nonprofit network that provides resources and support for charitable organizations, partnering with Spoken Worldwide to enhance giving and stewardship.
• NAE (National Association of Evangelicals)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpoken Worldwide aligns with the NAE Statement of Faith, demonstrating theological commitment and partnership with broader evangelical organizations in the United States.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jesus Film Project: Jesus Film Project produces oral/visual Scripture content (the JESUS film and related media) in hundreds of languages, serving oral learner populations with audio-visual Bible storytelling comparable to Spoken's audio translation and oral discipleship approach.
• Wycliffe Global Alliance: Wycliffe is the world's largest Bible translation organization, coordinating translation work in thousands of languages and serving many of the same missionary and donor ecosystems as Spoken Worldwide, though with a broader textual translation mandate rather than exclusive oral focus.
• Pioneer Bible Translators: Pioneer Bible Translators is a faith-based nonprofit focused on Scripture translation and literacy in underserved language communities, overlapping with Spoken's oral learner focus and competing for the same donor base and indigenous translator talent pool.
• Audio Scripture Ministries: Audio Scripture Ministries distributes audio Bible recordings to oral learner and blind communities globally, with a delivery model closely aligned to Spoken's audio translation library and similar oral-learner target audience.
• Faith Comes By Hearing: Faith Comes By Hearing is a faith-based nonprofit that produces and distributes free audio Bibles (Audio Bible, Bible.is) in hundreds of languages, directly competing with Spoken Worldwide in the audio/oral Scripture delivery space for oral learner communities worldwide.
• Global Recordings Network: Global Recordings Network produces and distributes audio Scripture recordings in thousands of languages, sharing Spoken's oral/audio-first delivery model and the same target audience of oral learner communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Broad incumbents

• International Mission Board (IMB): The International Mission Board is the largest denominational missions sending agency globally, operating across thousands of language communities including many of the same oral-learner regions Spoken serves, and competing for a portion of SBC-affiliated donor contributions.
• Biblica: Biblica is a large, established Bible translation and publishing organization producing text-based Scripture translations in many languages; it operates more broadly than Spoken's oral niche but competes for the same evangelical donor pool and serves overlapping language community needs.

Emerging players

• Telling the Truth: Telling the Truth is a media-oriented nonprofit producing Scripture-based audio/video teaching content; while not a direct translation peer, it shares the audio-first delivery model and the same evangelical donor demographic that funds oral Bible translation work.
• Every Tribe Every Nation: Every Tribe Every Nation is a missions movement focused on unreached people groups and oral cultures, sharing Spoken's emphasis on indigenous-led church planting and oral-friendly ministry methods though with a broader movement-building scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/spokenorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-or86DSv8hkQP0KsdKaIZg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/spokenorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/spokenorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spokenworldwide

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SPOKEN worldwide